JP2009124210A - Image pickup apparatus, image pickup method, image searching apparatus and image searching method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image pickup apparatus, an image pickup method, an image searching apparatus and an image searching method, capable of searching good-looking images for a fast-moving subject such as in a sport scene without missing a photographic timing having good-looking scene without requiring detailed setting. <P>SOLUTION: A face detecting section 5 detects a face of an image of a subject 11 acquired with a photographing section 2. A motion detecting section 9 detects a motion vector of hands in a neighboring portion 12b. A best shot determining section 1a determines whether or not the face is positioned at a center portion 12a and whether or not the face a little moves (S3), detects a timing when the motion vector of the hands in the neighboring portion 12b reverses (S4, S5), and performs best shot photographing at a reverse timing. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus, an image pickup method, an image search apparatus, and an image search method. More specifically, the present invention detects a shooting timing that makes a good-looking photograph of a fast-moving subject, and also detects a large number of photographs obtained by continuous shooting. The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus, an image pickup method, an image search apparatus, and an image search method capable of quickly and easily searching for a good-looking image.

  In recent years, cameras have been digitized, and technological advances such as higher sensitivity and expanded exposure control range have made the cameras easier to use. Under such circumstances, there has been a demand for a camera capable of obtaining a good-looking photograph even for a subject moving at high speed. Especially for amateurs, it is not easy to shoot a good-looking moment when shooting sports photos. Also, when shooting fast-moving subjects such as sports, it is not easy to select a good-looking photo from a large number of images.

Therefore, it is conceivable to detect the movement of the subject and take a picture at a good-looking timing. Patent Document 1 discloses an image processing apparatus that controls image processing based on a specific motion vector set in advance.
JP 11-39494 A

  The image processing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a detailed condition designation for each scene in the motion vector identification circuit, and it is necessary to select it. In such a configuration, it is necessary to specify conditions for each area, and there is a risk of missing the shooting timing. In addition, it is not easy to search for images taken at the timing of appearance from a large number of images after shooting.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and provides an imaging apparatus and an imaging method that do not require detailed settings and do not miss the timing of appearance with respect to an object that moves at high speed, such as a sports scene. For the purpose. Further, the present invention provides an image search apparatus and an image search method for searching for an image photographed at a time when an object that moves at high speed, such as a sports scene, does not require fine settings.

  In order to achieve the above object, an imaging apparatus according to a first invention includes a motion vector detection unit that detects a relative motion vector of a peripheral image centered on a reference image at a predetermined reference position in a screen, and the motion vector. Includes an inversion timing detection unit that detects a timing at which the image is inverted vertically or horizontally and an imaging unit that starts imaging in response to the inversion timing.

In the imaging device according to a second invention, in the first invention, the reference image is a face image.
In the imaging apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the detection of the inversion timing by the detection unit is performed when the movement of the reference image is small.

  In order to achieve the above object, an imaging method according to a fourth invention comprises a step of detecting a relative motion vector of a peripheral image centered on a reference image at a predetermined reference position in a screen, and the motion vector is moved up and down or A step of detecting a reversal timing on the left and right sides and a step of starting photographing in response to the reversal timing.

In order to achieve the above object, an imaging apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention includes a motion vector detection unit that detects a relative motion vector of a peripheral image centered on a reference image at a predetermined reference position in a screen, and the motion vector. Includes an inversion timing detection unit that detects a timing at which the image is inverted vertically or horizontally, and an imaging unit that predicts a shooting timing based on the inversion timing and starts shooting at this timing.
In the imaging device according to a sixth aspect based on the fifth aspect, the inversion timing detection unit detects at least two inversion timings, and predicts the shooting timing based on the two inversion timings.

  In order to achieve the above object, an image search device according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is a storage unit for storing a plurality of images, and for the plurality of images, a peripheral image centered on a reference image at a predetermined reference position in a screen. Select a motion vector detection unit that detects a relative motion vector, an inversion timing detection unit that detects a timing at which the motion vector is inverted vertically or horizontally for the plurality of images, and an image captured at the inversion timing. The selection part to perform is provided.

In order to achieve the above object, an image search method according to an eighth invention detects a relative motion vector of a peripheral image with respect to a reference image in a screen for a plurality of images taken in series, and based on the motion vector. Thus, the timing at which the motion vector is inverted in the left-right direction or the up-down direction is detected, and an image at the timing at which the motion vector is inverted is selected.
An image search apparatus according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is the above-described eighth aspect of the present invention, wherein the motion vector is detected and the motion of the reference image is detected. If the motion is large, the motion vector inversion is not detected.

In order to achieve the above object, an image search program according to a tenth invention comprises a step of detecting a relative motion vector of a peripheral image with respect to a reference image in a screen for a plurality of images photographed in series, and the motion The method includes a step of detecting a timing at which the motion vector is inverted in the left-right direction or the vertical direction based on the vector, and a step of selecting an image at a timing at which the motion vector is inverted.
According to an eleventh aspect of the invention, in the tenth aspect of the invention, in the tenth aspect, the motion vector is detected and the motion of the reference image is detected. If the motion is large, the motion vector inversion is not detected. .

  In order to achieve the above object, an imaging apparatus according to a twelfth aspect of the present invention is based on a reference image detection unit that detects the position of a reference image at a predetermined reference position in the screen, and a reference image at the predetermined reference position in the screen. A motion vector detection unit for detecting a relative motion vector of the peripheral image, a shooting unit for shooting a subject image, information indicating the position of the reference image together with the subject image shot by the shooting unit, and the motion A recording unit for recording information indicating a vector is provided.

  According to the present invention, there is provided an imaging apparatus and an imaging method that do not require fine settings and do not miss the timing of appearance with respect to an object that moves at high speed such as a sports scene, and sports scenes that do not require fine settings. Thus, it is possible to provide an image search apparatus and an image search method for searching for an image taken at a time when a high-speed moving subject looks good.

  Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment will be described using a camera to which the present invention is applied according to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a camera 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The camera 10 is a digital camera, and includes a control unit 1, a best shot determination unit 1b, a photographing unit 2, a clock unit 3, a recording unit 4, a work region 4a, a storage region 4b, a face detection unit 5, an operation determination unit 6, and a communication unit. 7, a display unit 8, and a motion detection unit 9, and can be connected to the external server 20 via the network 15.

  The control unit 1 is connected to each unit in the camera 10 and performs overall control of the camera 10 according to the operation of the operation member and the like determined by the operation determination unit 6. The control unit 1 includes an image processing unit (not shown), and performs image compression processing and the like. Furthermore, the control unit 1 has a best shot determination unit 1b, and based on the outputs of the face detection unit 5 and the motion detection unit 9, which will be described later, for obtaining a best shot that looks good on a moving subject. Determine the timing.

  The photographing unit 2 includes an optical system for forming a subject image, an image sensor for photoelectrically converting the subject image, and the like, and outputs image data. The photographing unit 2 can output both image data of a still image and a moving image, and can acquire an image at a higher speed than a general digital camera. The clock unit 3 has a timekeeping function and a calendar function, and is used for acquiring date and time information at the time of shooting. The date and time information obtained here is recorded together when the captured image is recorded in the recording unit 4.

  The recording unit 4 records the image data compressed by the image processing unit in the control unit 1 as a captured image. When recording the image data, it is recorded as an image file together with the date and time information described above, the position of the face detected by the face detection unit 5, the motion vector information detected by the motion detection unit 9, and the like.

  The recording unit 4 includes a work area 4a and a storage area 4b. The work area 4a is an area for temporarily recording an image acquired by the photographing unit 2, and the storage area 4b is a final timing image selected from images temporarily stored in the work area 4a. It is an area to save automatically.

  The face detection unit 5 detects a face portion using a face pattern when a person image is included in the subject. Based on the detection result, exposure control, automatic focus adjustment (AF), etc. are performed, and the position of the face in the screen is detected, and when the image data is recorded in the recording unit 4, the position of the face is detected. The information about is also recorded.

  The operation determination unit 6 determines the operation state of the operation member of the camera 10 by the user. In accordance with this operation state, the control unit 1 controls the camera 10 as described above. The communication unit 7 transmits / receives information to / from devices such as the external server 20 via the network 15 or the like. Via this communication part 7, a picked-up image can be transmitted outside and an image etc. can be received from the outside. Note that by using such a communication function, an external computer may perform a part of the image selection process for determining the best shot.

  The display unit 8 is composed of a display device such as a liquid crystal monitor disposed on the back surface of the camera 10, and reproduces and displays moving image and still image data recorded in the recording unit 4, and also uses an optical viewfinder. Instead, live view display for observing the subject image is also performed. In addition, the best shot search of the photographed image recorded in the recording unit 4 is also displayed. The motion detector 9 detects a motion vector of a moving subject or the like.

  Next, the best shot determination in the camera 10 according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described. For example, if the person 11 is present in the screen 13 shown in FIG. 1 and the face of the person 11 is found in the central part 12a, the case where the spread of the limbs in the peripheral part 12b is the widest is considered the best shot. However, since the face cannot be detected when the person 11 is facing the opposite side, in such a case, the face detection is omitted assuming that there is a face in the central portion 12a.

  A description will be given of how to search for and detect a scene that looks good with respect to a moving subject when the face of the person 11 is in the center of the screen and the performance is performed with both hands open. The movement in this case is as shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 (a) is a scene in which the person 11 spreads both hands outward, and FIG. 2 (b) is a scene in which both spread hands are closed inward. FIG. 2 (c) shows the moment when the scene that spreads most outward is closed inward. That is, both hands are extended in the direction of arrow A from time t1 to time t2, both hands are fully extended at time t2, and both hands are closed in the direction of arrow B from time t2 to time t3.

  In this way, both hands move from moment to moment, but the face portion does not move, so if you look at the block next to the face relative to the position of this face, the inside of the block will change according to the change in the position of both hands. This image also changes in the direction of arrow A or arrow B. An enlarged view of this situation is shown in FIG. 6A corresponds to FIG. 2A, and FIG. 6B is an enlarged view of the block 13i in FIG. 6A.

  In the block 13i shown in FIG. 6B, the block portion to which light ink is applied is, for example, the fingertip of the person 11, the lower left block portion 13ia at time t1, and the upper right block portion at time t2. It has moved to 13ib. That is, the movement of the hand of the person 11 can be determined by detecting how the image pattern has changed in the block 13i from time t1 to t2.

  When the motion vector indicating the change of the image pattern is decomposed in the X direction and the Y direction, it becomes an arrow component described outside the screen of FIG. 2A and 2B, both the X-direction component and the Y-direction component have a certain magnitude, but in FIG. 2C, the X-direction component and the Y-direction component are inverted and become 0. Yes. This reversal instant t2 can be said to be the time when the extremity has greatly increased.

  The speed of this motion vector is shown in FIGS. FIG. 3A shows the change rate of the image pattern in the X-axis direction, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the change rate of the image pattern in the X-axis direction, which corresponds to speed (ΔX). FIG. 3B shows the rate of change of the image pattern in the Y-axis direction, the horizontal axis is the time, and the vertical axis is the rate of change of the image pattern in the Y-axis direction, which corresponds to the speed (ΔY). The solid line shows the movement of the limbs. Looking at the velocities of the limbs in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, the time t2 is the best shot timing, and the speeds (ΔX, ΔY) change from positive to negative. The speed is switched to 0.

  Thus, the best shot timing can be detected using the change of the motion vector. If the face part is also moving, it is determined that the whole is moving, not the extension of the limbs, so this is not the best shot timing. The face motion vector is indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 3, and the fact that it is in the vicinity of 0 is a condition for obtaining the best shot timing.

  Next, an example of a golf swing will be described with reference to FIGS. The golf swing does not extend the limbs, but the extended limbs draw a circle, so if you take a picture at the moment when the limbs are swung down to the lowest place, you can get the best shot. 4A shows a state in which the golf club 16 is swung down between time t1 and time t2, and FIG. 4B shows a state in which the golf club 16 is swung up between time t2 and t3. FIG. 4C shows the moment of hitting the golf ball 17 at time t2.

  FIG. 5 shows the velocity in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction of the motion vector at the tip of the golf club 16 during this golf swing. Similar to FIG. 3, FIG. 5A shows the speed in the X-axis direction, FIG. 5B shows the speed in the Y-axis direction, the solid line shows the speed of the golf club tip, and the broken line shows the face speed. As can be seen from FIG. 5, the speed (ΔX) in the X-axis direction is a substantially constant speed from time t1 to time t3 via time t2. On the other hand, the speed in the Y-axis direction (ΔY) is a negative speed from time t1 to time t2, and is 0 at time t2, and is positive from time t2 to time t3.

  Since the best shot timing during the golf swing is considered to be the time when the golf club 16 is swung down to the bottom, it is understood that the motion vector in the Y-axis direction is reversed and the speed becomes zero. .

  As described above, the timing when the best shot can be obtained has been described in the case of moving the body so that the limbs are opened or in the case of a golf swing. In many cases, the best shot is often obtained at various timings when the motion vectors of the limbs of the body, the tools of the golf club 16 and the like are reversed.

  Next, the operation of the camera 10 in the present embodiment in which shooting is performed at the timing of the best shot will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG. When entering the shooting flow, first, the image data of the moving image acquired by the shooting unit 2 is temporarily stored in the work area 4a, and face detection is performed by the face detection unit 5 based on this image data (S1). ). That is, it is determined whether a face part is included in the subject, and if it is included, the face position is detected.

  Subsequently, the motion detection unit 9 performs motion vector determination for each of the top, bottom, left, and right (S2). In this step, the face part serving as the reference position and the motion vectors of the peripheral part are detected. Specifically, the speeds as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 are sampled at predetermined time intervals.

  Next, using the motion vector of the face portion of the motion vectors obtained in step S2 and the face position information obtained by the face detection unit 5, it is determined whether or not the face motion in the center is small. Perform (S3). When the face is not in the center and is moving, it is often difficult to say that it is the best shot. In this case, the face enters the center and the face moves less. In order to wait for this, the process returns to step S1.

  On the other hand, if the result of determination is that the face is in the center and the movement of the face is small, it is determined whether or not the motion vector in the left and right direction (X-axis direction) of the peripheral portion has been inverted (S4). In this step, as shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 5A, it is determined whether or not it is a timing when the speed changes from plus to minus or minus to plus and the speed becomes zero. If the motion vector is not inverted as a result of the determination, it is determined whether or not the motion vector in the vertical direction (Y-axis direction) of the peripheral portion has been inverted (S5). In this step, as shown in FIG. 3B and FIG. 5B, it is determined whether or not the speed is reversed and becomes zero.

  If the result of determination in step S5 is that the motion vector has not been inverted, processing returns to step S1 and the above steps are executed. On the other hand, if the motion vector is inverted in step S4 or step S5, it is the timing at time t2 in FIG. 3 and FIG. S6). In this step, the image data acquired from the imaging unit 2 is recorded in the storage area 4b.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, the image data of the moving image is sequentially acquired from the photographing unit 2, and based on the acquired image data, the face is in the center, and the movement of the face is small, and It is determined whether or not the peripheral motion vector is inverted. Waiting for these conditions to be satisfied, and if the conditions are satisfied, the image data of the still image is automatically acquired and recorded by the photographing unit 2 as the best determination photographing.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, if the shooting mode is set so that the best determination shooting is possible, even when the subject is moving, the image data at the moment when the image looks good is automatically shot and recorded. can do.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the first embodiment, it waits for a predetermined condition such as a motion vector to be inverted, and a still image is acquired when the condition is satisfied. In the second embodiment, still images are acquired at predetermined time intervals, and the best shot is automatically searched from the acquired still images. The hardware configuration of the camera 10 in the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, and differs in that the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 are executed. Therefore, the differences will be mainly described.

  First, image data of a still image is acquired from the photographing unit 2, face detection is performed (S101), and motion vector determination is performed using a plurality of acquired image data of the still image (S102). Then, the face position detected by the face detection unit 5 and the motion vector detected by the motion detection unit 9 are attached as additional information to the image data of the still image to generate an image file (S103). Subsequently, the generated image file is stored in the recording unit 4 (S104).

  When the storage of the image file ends, it is next determined whether or not to end the continuous shooting based on the determination output of the operation determination unit 6 (S105). If the result of determination is that photography has not ended, processing returns to step S101. On the other hand, if photography has ended, processing returns. In the first embodiment, the image data used in step S1 and step S2 in FIG. 7 has a number of pixels that allows face detection and motion vector determination. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, since the best shot is selected from the images stored in step S104, face detection and motion vector determination are possible, and the number of pixels that can be viewed as a still image is sufficient. Required.

  Next, the best image search operation for searching for the best shot from the image data recorded in the recording unit 4 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. This flow is performed in the camera 10, but may be processed by a personal computer or the like using the image data recorded in the external server 20 or the recording unit 4 through the network 15.

  First, image determination is started (S111). Subsequently, for the first determination target image, it is determined whether or not the movement of the subject in the face or the center of the screen is small (S112). In the determination, face position data and a motion vector attached to the image file of the determination target image are used.

  If the result of determination is that the motion is small, it is subsequently determined whether or not the left-right motion vector of the peripheral portion has been inverted (S113). In this step, as in the first embodiment, it is determined whether or not the velocity in the X-axis direction has become zero. If the motion vector is not inverted as a result of the determination, it is determined whether or not the vertical motion vector of the peripheral portion is inverted (S115). In this step, as in the first embodiment, it is determined whether or not it is the timing when the speed in the Y-axis direction changes from plus to minus or from minus to plus and becomes zero.

  If the motion vector is inverted in step S113 or step S115, the image at the time of inversion is selected as the best image (S116), and the process proceeds to step S117. On the other hand, if the motion is large in step S112 or if the motion vector is not inverted in step S115, the best image is not selected and the process proceeds to step S117.

  In step S117, it is determined whether or not to end the determination. In this step, as a result of the determination by the operation member determination unit 6, it is determined whether the user has operated the operation member to end the best image search, or whether the search has been completed for all images. As a result of the determination, if not completed, the next image is read from the recording unit 4 and set as a determination target image (S118), the process returns to step S112, and the above-described operation is executed for this determination target image. On the other hand, when the determination is finished, the process returns.

  As described above, in the second embodiment of the present invention, at the time of shooting, a still image is continuously acquired, and information on the face position and the motion vector is attached to the image to generate an image file. At the time of searching for the best image, the best image is selected from the timing at which the motion of the face or the like and the motion vector of the peripheral portion are inverted. In the first embodiment, it is determined whether or not the best shot can be taken at the time of shooting, and the shooting operation is performed at that timing. In this case, if the camera 10 has a time lag after the timing is determined and before the shooting operation, the best shot cannot actually be shot. In the second embodiment, since still images are continuously acquired and the best shot is selected from these images, the time lag of the camera 10 is not a problem.

  In this embodiment, the position and motion vector of the face and the like are recorded together with the image at the time of shooting. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the position and motion vector of the face and the like are not recorded at the time of shooting. Of course, these may be detected from the read-out image during the image search. Further, the image file recorded in the recording unit 4 may be input to a personal computer, and the best image processing flow may be executed by this personal computer.

  Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the first and second embodiments, a high-performance digital camera capable of acquiring images at high speed has been assumed. However, an image sensor of a general digital camera takes time to read out pixel data for full-size shooting. It will take. Therefore, golf swings and the like may completely miss the moment of hitting the ball. For the sake of explanation, FIG. 12 shows a plurality of failure examples superimposed on each other, and all of them miss the moment when the golf club hits the ball, which is not the best shot.

  Many common digital cameras can shoot in both a still image mode and a moving image mode. Here, the still image mode refers to shooting using full-size pixels, and the moving image mode refers to high-speed continuous shooting with pixels thinned out. As a matter of course, the image quality is inferior in the moving image mode compared to the still image mode.

  In the case of a golf swing, as shown in FIG. 10A described above, in the state where the person 11 swings around the golf club 16, the motion is not high speed, and the motion vector can be sufficiently determined in the moving image mode. . On the other hand, when the still image mode is set, only images corresponding to the three states shown in FIG. 12 are obtained, and the motion vector ahead of the golf club 16 cannot be acquired.

  When the moving image mode is set in this way, the golf club 16 starts to swing down as shown in FIG. 10B even when the golf club 16 is shaken as shown in FIG. 10A (timing t1). Even in the state (timing t2), the movement of the tip of the golf club can be detected. Therefore, the motion vector is detected by looking at the left and right image parts with the face at the center, and the two times t1 and t2 are obtained. Next, it is possible to calculate the time (t2−t1) required for about half a swing of the swing, and from this, it is possible to calculate the time t3 when the golf club tip is further swung down by 90 °.

  The configuration of the third embodiment according to such a concept is that the hardware of the camera 10 in the first embodiment is the same as that of the general digital camera except that the inside of the photographing unit 2 has the same performance as described above. 11, and only the point of executing the flowchart shown in FIG. 11 is different, and the difference will be mainly described.

  In the shooting flowchart, first, the moving image mode is set, and the shooting unit 2 acquires a moving image (S201). Subsequently, the movement of the subject portion at the center of the screen is detected by the movement detector 9, and it is determined whether or not the movement is small (S202). Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the motion vector in the left-right direction is reversed from plus to minus or minus to plus (S203).

  When the motion at the center of the screen is small and the motion vector is inverted, the time T is stored in t1 (S204). This state is a state in which a golf club 16 as shown in FIG. Thereafter, it waits for the motion vector to reverse on the opposite side (S205). When the motion vector is inverted on the reverse side, the time T is stored in t2 (S206). This inversion timing corresponds to the timing for starting to swing down the golf club 16 as shown in FIG.

  Next, the shooting mode is switched from the moving image mode to the still image mode (S207). Then, the time t3 at the moment of swinging down is calculated (S208). The golf club rotates approximately 180 degrees from the start of swinging to the start of swinging down, and the golf club rotates approximately 90 degrees from the start of swinging down to the point when it swings down to the bottom. From this relationship, the time t3 can be predicted by obtaining t3 = t2 + (t2−t1) / 2. When the calculation of the time t3 is completed, it waits for the time t3 (S209), and when the time t3 is reached, the photographing unit 2 captures a still image (S210). When shooting is finished, return.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, two operation points are detected in the moving image mode, and the timing of the best shot is predicted from the time required to perform between the two operation points. When it comes to, it takes a picture in still picture mode. For this reason, even with a general digital camera that does not have a high-performance imaging unit, it is possible to capture a beautiful still image at the best shot timing for a moving subject.

  Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described using FIG. 13 and FIG. Each of the first to third embodiments is an embodiment suitable for capturing a best shot by capturing a one-time instantaneous timing or searching for a best shot, but the fourth embodiment. Is an embodiment suitable for taking a best shot in a subject that repeats a continuous motion such as running. The configuration of the fourth embodiment is the same as the hardware of the camera 10 of the third embodiment, and only the point of executing the flowchart shown in FIG. 14 is different. Therefore, the difference will be mainly described.

  For a subject that repeats continuous movements such as running, the same movement is repeated, so that the best shot can be predicted easily. FIG. 13 shows a state of the person 11 running toward this place. When running, the hand 15 usually touches the left and right, and when the hand 15 is raised higher as shown in FIG. 13C than in the case shown in FIG. Looks like the best shot.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 13, for the subject that runs toward this place, the rhythm of the movement of the hand 15 is used to predict the moment when the hand 15 rises high, and the best shot is taken. A flowchart for performing this photographing is shown in FIG.

  First, similarly to step S201, the moving image mode is set (S221). Subsequently, a face is detected by the face detection unit 5 (S222). Also, the motion detection unit 9 detects the motion vector of the hand 15 of the person 11 and waits for the motion vector in the left-right direction to be inverted (223).

  When the motion vector in the left-right direction is inverted, the time T at that time is stored as t1. Then, it waits for the motion vector to be reversed on the reverse side (S225), and when it is reversed, the time T at that time is stored as t2 (S226). Thereafter, the shooting mode is switched from the moving image mode to the still image mode (S227).

  Subsequently, the moment when the hand 15 swings back on the opposite side is predicted. Time t3 at the moment of turning back is obtained by t3 = t2 + (t2−t1) (S229). It is determined whether or not the obtained time t3 has been reached (S229). When the time t3 is reached, the photographing unit 2 captures a still image (S230).

  As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, by detecting the movement of the hand 15 or the like that moves rhythmically and predicting the timing at which the motion vector is inverted in advance, it is possible to take a picture with the best shot with the hand raised. .

  As described above, in the first, third, and fourth embodiments of the present invention, the timing at which the motion vector is inverted is detected, and shooting is performed according to this timing. For this reason, it is not necessary to make detailed settings, and it is possible to perform shooting without missing the appearance timing of a fast moving subject such as a sports scene.

  In the first, third, and fourth embodiments, the movement of the face is detected, and the best shot shooting is performed when the movement of the face is small. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the best shot from being taken when the face is moving.

  Furthermore, in the second embodiment, after shooting, an image at the time of inversion of the motion vector is searched and the best shot is selected. For this reason, it is possible to search for an image taken at a time when it looks good with respect to a subject that moves at high speed, such as a sports scene, without requiring fine settings from a large number of images.

  In the above-described embodiment, the face portion is detected and the peripheral portion is determined by using this portion as a reference image. However, the head or the torso may be used in addition to the face.

  In the embodiments of the present invention, a digital camera is used as the imaging device. However, the camera may be a digital single-lens reflex camera or a compact digital camera, and may be a mobile phone or a personal digital assistant (PDA: Personal). Of course, a camera built into Digital Assist) may be used.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of components disclosed in the embodiment. For example, you may delete some components of all the components shown by embodiment. Furthermore, constituent elements over different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the camera concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention. In 1st Embodiment of this invention, it is a figure explaining the timing of a best shot, (a) is a scene where a person spreads both hands outside, (b) is a scene which closes both spread hands inside, (C) is a moment showing the best shot timing, which is the moment of closing inward from the scene spreading most outward. FIG. 3 is a graph showing the speed of movement of the limbs and the face when the hand moves shown in FIG. 2 in the first embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is the speed in the X-axis direction, and (b) is the Y-axis direction. It is a graph which shows the speed of. In the first embodiment of the present invention, it is a diagram for explaining the timing of the best shot, (a) is a diagram showing a state of swinging down a golf club, (b) is a diagram showing a state of swinging up a golf club. Yes, (c) is a diagram showing the timing of the best shot. FIG. 5 is a graph showing the speed of movement of the golf club and the face during the golf swing shown in FIG. 4 in the first embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is the speed in the X-axis direction and (b) is the speed in the Y-axis direction. It is a graph which shows. In the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the hand movement shown in FIG. 2, (a) corresponds to FIG. 2 (a), and (b) is an enlarged view thereof. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of imaging | photography in the camera concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of imaging | photography in the camera concerning 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart of the best image search in the camera concerning 2nd Embodiment of this invention. In 3rd Embodiment of this invention, it is a figure explaining prediction of the timing of the best shot, (a) is a figure which shows a mode that a golf club is shaken down, (b) shows a mode that a golf club is raised. It is a figure and (c) is a figure which shows the timing of the best shot. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of imaging | photography in the camera concerning 3rd Embodiment of this invention. In 3rd Embodiment of this invention, it is a photograph which shows the example of failure when a best shot cannot be image | photographed. In 4th Embodiment of this invention, it is a figure explaining prediction of the timing of the best shot, (a) is a figure which shows a mode that it is running far, (b) is a state when approaching It is a figure which shows, and (c) is a figure when it approaches further, and is a figure which shows the timing of the best shot. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of imaging | photography in the camera concerning 4th Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Control part, 1b ... Best shot determination part, 2 ... Imaging | photography part, 3 ... Clock part, 4 ... Recording part, 4a ... Work area | region, 4b ... Storage area | region DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 5 ... Face detection part, 6 ... Operation determination part, 7 ... Communication part, 8 ... Display part, 9 ... Motion detection part, 10 ... Camera, 15 ... Net 20 ... external server, 11 ... person, 12a ... center, 12b ... peripheral, 13 ... screen, 13i ... block, 15 ... hand, 16 ... Golf club, 17 ... golf ball

Claims (12)

A motion vector detector that detects a relative motion vector of a peripheral image centered on a reference image at a predetermined reference position in the screen;
An inversion timing detector that detects the timing at which the motion vector is inverted in the vertical and horizontal directions;
An imaging unit that starts shooting in response to the inversion timing;
An imaging apparatus comprising:   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reference image is a face image.   The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inversion timing is detected by the detection unit when the movement of the reference image is small. Detecting a relative motion vector of a peripheral image around a reference image at a predetermined reference position in the screen;
Detecting a timing at which the motion vector is reversed vertically or horizontally;
Starting shooting in response to the inversion timing;
An imaging method comprising: A motion vector detector that detects a relative motion vector of a peripheral image centered on a reference image at a predetermined reference position in the screen;
An inversion timing detector that detects the timing at which the motion vector is inverted in the vertical and horizontal directions;
An imaging unit that predicts the shooting timing based on the inversion timing and starts shooting at this timing;
An imaging apparatus comprising:   The imaging apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the inversion timing detection unit detects at least two inversion timings and predicts the shooting timing based on the two inversion timings. A storage unit for storing a plurality of images;
For the plurality of images, a motion vector detection unit that detects a relative motion vector of a peripheral image centered on a reference image at a predetermined reference position in the screen;
An inversion timing detection unit for detecting the timing at which the motion vector is inverted in the vertical and horizontal directions for the plurality of images;
A selection unit for selecting an image taken at the above reversal timing;
An image search apparatus comprising: For a plurality of images taken in series, the relative motion vector of the surrounding image with respect to the reference image in the screen is detected,
Based on the motion vector, detect the timing at which the motion vector is reversed in the horizontal direction or the vertical direction,
Select an image at the timing when the motion vector is inverted,
An image search method characterized by that.   9. The image search method according to claim 8, wherein a motion of a reference image is detected together with the motion vector, and inversion of the motion vector is not detected when the motion is large. Detecting a relative motion vector of a peripheral image with respect to a reference image in a screen for a plurality of images taken in series;
Detecting a timing at which the motion vector is inverted in the left-right direction or the up-down direction based on the motion vector;
Selecting an image at a timing when the motion vector is inverted;
An image search program characterized by comprising:   11. The image search program according to claim 10, wherein a motion of a reference image is detected together with the motion vector, and inversion of the motion vector is not detected when the motion is large. A reference image detection unit for detecting the position of a reference image at a predetermined reference position in the screen;
A motion vector detector that detects a relative motion vector of a peripheral image centered on a reference image at a predetermined reference position in the screen;
A shooting section for shooting a subject image;
A recording unit that records information indicating the position of the reference image and information indicating the motion vector together with the subject image captured by the imaging unit,
An imaging apparatus comprising: